Described herein are example portable indoor hydroponic garden assemblies and associated methods of use. The portable indoor hydroponic garden assemblies can include features that facilitate hydroponic gardening in an indoor environment, including structural features that enhance the indoor environment itself, such as through sounds, smells, textures, sights, and so on. In an example, the portable indoor hydroponic garden system includes a tiered growing assembly housed fully within an enclosure. The tiered growing assembly can include a group of trays defining tiers that are recessed from one another, allowing water or other fluid to flow from tray to tray, creating waterfall features there between that can aerate the water and emit a pleasurable sound to the indoor environment. The enclosure can be climate controlled and thus adaptable to a variety of indoor conditions to grow desired plants, including embodiments using programmable heating and lighting systems.

A plant cultivation column assembly. The assembly provides a vertical structure to contain one or more plants and surrounding growing medium and allows for sufficient aeration, vapor exchange, and facilitates plant reconfiguration. The assembly includes a flexible sheet with slatted projections on opposing edges. The slatted projections alternate to connect to the opposing edges via detachable connections. The assembly is designed to allow for easy assembly and disassembly, minimizing disturbance to the planting medium and plant and additionally allowing the plant to naturally project from openings formed between the slatted projections. The structure offers a large surface area for vapor and air exchange, promoting optimal plant growth. Additionally, the assembly can accommodate various plants and planting mediums, and may be used with additional stabilizing structures, subsequently joined assemblies into a taller column/structure, and/or pots and potted bases. Methods of assembly and use of the plant cultivation column assembly.

A vertical frame secured on a free-standing mobile base that has horizontal sections to which are attached removable plant bins, approximately up to 30, on the front and also the rear of the frame's horizontal sections. Each plant bin may hold one or more living plants, and the excess water level may be visible at the front of the plant bin.

An aeroponic column comprises a base, a planter section attached to the base, wherein the planter section defines a hollow interior, a channel and plant holder openings adapted to receive a plant holder, a nutrient distributor attached over the planter section with fluid openings adapted to allow fluid to flow down the planter sections, and a conduit assembly operatively connected between the base and the nutrient distributor, and adapted to carry fluid from the base to the nutrient distributor. The conduit assembly comprises a conduit formed separate from the planter section, the conduit extends through the channel of the planter section, and the conduit has a male threaded first end and a female threaded second end.

A robotic parking device is described. The device includes a number of stacks of containers as shown in FIG. 3, the stacks being positioned within a frame structure including uprights and a horizontal grid disposed above the stacks, the grid having substantially perpendicular rails on which load handling devices can run. Cars or vehicles are positioned in containers that are moved in to and out of the stacks by the robotic handling devices running on the grid. The cars are put in to the grid at entry points that may be positioned at points under the stacks.

The present invention is directed to a stackable pot assembly having pots arranged in horizontal and vertical directions to form the stacked pot assembly. The assembly includes two or more blocks mounted over each other. The first block mounted over the floor having one or more rows of twin-bases arranged lengthwise or side-by-side. The upper blocks mounted one over another, and the upper blocks mounted over the first block. The upper block comprises twin-pots and round-pots. The twin-pots and round-pots have feet configured in their bottom, wherein the twin-pot have two spaced-apart feet while the round pot has a single feet. A lid secures the twin-bases, twin-pots, and round-pots, wherein the lid is having apertures for receiving the feet when a twin-pot or a round-pot is mounted over the lid secured to below block. The lid is further having a plant hole.

A system and method for handling shipping containers is described. The container handling system includes a crane, the crane having crane load handling devices. The container handling system includes a conveyance device, the conveyance device including transversal load handling devices. The system provides storage and sortation for storing the containers in a series of stacks disposed beneath a grid, the grid having a series of load handling devices operable thereon. The crane load handling device removes a container from a ship, transports it to transversal load handling device operable on a conveyor. The container is moved on the conveyor to a transfer point where it is collected by a robotic load handling device for transport to the storage and sortation area.

A rotatable rack system for growing plants is disclosed which has a frame, a plurality of mobile trays arrayed around the frame, where each mobile tray contains at least one plant and a chain linking said plurality of mobile trays together, supported by the frame with a drive mechanism configured to drive the chain wherein the frame is configured to support the plurality of mobile trays encircling an enclosed space. Several configurations of the frame that are equally energy efficient are also disclosed, along with a method of growing plants using the system.

A system for growing plants, the system may include a substrate having one or more weakened areas or openings: one or more grow portions coupled to the substrate and situated at the one or more weakened areas or openings and having at least one seed or plant; and/or a fluid distribution portion coupled to the substrate and configured to provide fluid to the one or more grow portions. The system may further include a method of operation including one or more acts of: obtaining a weather forecast for a future time period; determining whether rain is expected during the future time period; and preventing, terminating, or restricting an irrigation cycle when it is determined that rain is expected during the fare time period. The restricting may restrict a flow of liquid during the irrigation cycle or shorten the irrigation interval.

A vertical aeroponic growing apparatus is disclosed which includes a hollow structure having a top wall, a sidewall, and a bottom wall. A plurality of openings is formed through the sidewall. A thermal, light refractive cover is wrapped around the sidewall. The cover has a plurality of openings formed therethrough which correspond to the plurality of openings formed in the sidewall. A fitting is positioned in each of the plurality of openings in which a plant will be supported. A cap closes off any of the plurality of openings which are not needed to support the fitting. A drain pipe is secured to the bottom wall for allowing excess nutrient laden water to be removed. Lastly, an irrigation tube routes nutrient laden water to the hollow structure. A nozzle attached to an end of the irrigation tube delivers a fine mist of the nutrient laden water to the plant roots.